That's a lot of jobs in the Defence Forces...

The Irish Defence Forces have announced that they will recruit 860 new members this year. A major new recruitment drive is being launched by the Defence Forces, with special emphasis on recruiting female candidates and candidates from different ethnic groups and nationals into the Army, Air Corp and the Naval Service. The new recruits will be added to the 690 personnel that were hired last year to bring the total number of members of the Defence Forces to 9,500. The recruitment drive was announced earlier by Minister with Responsibility for Defence, Paul Kehoe. “It is vital that we continue to recruit young men and women to both maintain the strength level and military capability and to ensure fresh thinking.  I would encourage any young person who is currently thinking about his or her future career to consider the opportunities available in the Defence Forces and ‘Join our Team’,” said Minister Kehoe. “I would also urge our new Irish, who have contributed so much to the creation of a more pluralist and culturally diverse Irish society, to take up the opportunity to serve in the armed forces of the State they now call home,” he said. You can apply to join on the Defence Forces website here.